1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates in general to insoles, liners and footwear, and more particularly, to insoles, liners and footwear incorporating loofah material.
2. Description of Related Art
An array of available footwear products has broadened and increased in popularity in recent years. Further, use of natural material in consumer products has gained in frequency in recent years.
The following represents a listing of known related art pertaining to feet, footwear products and/or natural materials:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,589 issued to Sullivan et al. on Sep. 22, 1987;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,468,040 issued to Tatuo Fukuoka on Sep. 23, 1969;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,677 issued to James Zona on Feb. 4, 1986;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,831 issued to Charles J. Seltzer on Sep. 22, 1987;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,493 issued to Gary A. Eston on Aug. 5, 1986;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,078 issued to Ronald Moss on Oct. 9, 1979;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,332 issued to Giese et al. on Feb. 23, 1982;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,333 issued to Rothschild et al. on Feb. 23, 1982;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,334 issued to Helen M. Hunt on Feb. 23, 1982;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,912 issued to Wildman et al. on Feb. 17, 1987;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,913 issued to Hase et al. on Feb. 17, 1987;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,914 issued to Adelino Caldeira on Feb. 17, 1987;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,361 issued to Ganter et al. on Oct. 6, 1987;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,106 issued to Herbert Magidson on Apr. 3, 1973;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,801 issued to Patrick Zente on Dec. 2, 1975;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,526 issued to Tatsuo Fukuoka on Mar. 21, 1978;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,921 issued to Valuikas et al. on Dec. 1, 1987;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,257 issued to Holcomb et al. on Mar. 23, 1993;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,081 issued to Reiner et al. on Jun. 13, 1978;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,353 issued to Foldes et al.;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,355 issued to Giuseppe Annovi on Jun. 20, 1978;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,859,727 issued to Hideru Nakamoto on Jan. 14, 1975;
1995 Teva--The Sport Sandal catalog;
Michele Turk, "R.sub.x for Sore Feet", The Walking Magazine, January/February 1996, pp. 30-34;
Terence P. Pare, "How To Invest In Fast-Growing Companies", Fortune, Apr. 17, 1995, p. 105;
"High-Stepping Sandals", Business Week, May 8, 1995, p. 88;
"Voting With Their Feet", Business Week, May 22, 1995, p. 8;
"Smooth Loofah" article, (unknown publication and undated);
"Birko-Sport Insole" and "Noppy Insoles" advertisement sheet (unknown publication and undated);
"European Sport Sandals" advertisement (unknown publication and undated);
"What is the secret of Australia's massaging node sandals?" advertisement (unknown publication and undated);
"Arthritic Foot Management"" advertisement sheet (unknown publication and undated);
"Feel the walking pleasure of the islands.--Slip into soft, full-grain leather Hawaiian sandals." advertisement (unknown publication and undated);
"Your Feet--A Sensitive Issue" advertisement (unknown publication and undated);
"Class 5 Sport Sandals" catalog (undated);
"The Original Okabashi Shoes With Built-In Foot Therapy" advertisement (unknown publication and undated);
"Bio-Fit Custom Arch Supports" advertisement (unknown publication and undated);
"Athletes's Massaging Sandals" and "Gel Filled Insoles" advertisement sheet (unknown publication and undated);
"The Adventure Experts At Teva Innovate Again" advertisement (unknown publication and undated);
"We Had More Than Your Feet In Mind" Reebok advertisement (unknown publication and undated);
Birkenstock brochure (pages 1-4; undated);
Birkenstock Insoles brochure, pp. 1-7 (undated);
Birkenstock advertisement, 5 pages (undated);
"Our exclusive dual-chamber insoles give you deluxe massage and superb durability" advertisement (unknown publication and undated);
"Off The Road" Sports Sandals versus Sneakers, article, pg. 140 (unknown publication and undated).
Birkenstock advertisement, p. 97 (unknown publication and undated);
"Finn Comfort Shoes" advertisement (unknown publication and undated);
"Technical Sandals" Merrell Sport Sandals (unknown publication and undated);
Sensi Sandals, "The Sensi Story", 3 sheets (unknown publication and undated);
Teva Sandals--for "Barefoot" Comfort, 2 sheets (unknown publication and undated);
The teachings of each of the above-listed U.S. Patents (which does not itself incorporate essential material by reference) are herein incorporated by reference.
While the array of available footwear products has broadened, there still exists a need for further footwear products incorporating the use of natural materials therein